Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is the fourth film in the Tremors series of monster films. It is a prequel to the earlier movies. Plot In 1889, the site that will become Perfection is home to the town of Rejection. The inhabitants are completely dependent on the income from a nearby silver mine, and when a hot spring causes Graboid eggs to hatch, the mine becomes too dangerous to work in. The mine's owner is Hiram Gummer, great-grandfather of Burt Gummer. He arrives in town to fix the problem, but finds he is in way over his head dealing with the monsters, which they have dubbed "Dirt Dragons", when they attack his camp one night. One of his companions, Juan, kills one with a pickaxe and they barely get away. Hiram calls for a gunfighter, Black Hand Kelly. He promises Kelly all the silver he can carry once the mine is reopened, but has to give him his diamond cuff links and double eagle watch fob as a down payment for his services. While setting a trap, they find the severed head of Old Fred, the freight driver who had not been seen in weeks. The two do not get along well, and eventually Kelly is eaten alive but not before discovering there are four of the creatures that hatched and that they are a lot bigger than when Juan killed one. Hiram decides to abandon the town and leave the townsfolk to their fate, but they force him to give them the silver mine, threatening to alert potential buyers to the danger if he sells it out from under them. In Carson City while buying a train ticket back east, Hiram hears a telegram revealing that the Graboids have made it through the pass and are headed for the town. He changes his mind, buys a bunch of weapons, and heads back to town to lead a last stand against the creatures. He apologizes and says, "a friend once told me it is not important how you spend your money, it's how you spend your life." He then reveals that he sold his gold pocket watch to pay for the weapons. The town readies itself for a final showdown with the Graboids. Hiram uses a punt gun to blow a hole in one of the Graboid's heads, killing it instantly, but a second one pulls the gun underground. Tecopa then attracts one of the Graboids by sticking a saw into the ground and banging on it. When the Graboid rushes to eat him, it impales itself on the saw. The third and final Graboid grows smarter, however, and avoids all their traps. Hiram tricks it into coming to the surface and then attaches it by the tail to the wheel of the town's traction engine. The Graboid is reeled in and slammed against the engine with such force that its head is crushed on impact. With the creatures dead, the town decides to keep the creatures secret out of fear no one would settle in the area if it was known and use the proceeds from the mine to pay for things for the people of the town, proper walls for the market and hotel and a statue of Tecopa (who claimed the cigar store Indian that stood in front of the hotel was a statue of him). Hiram settles in Rejection (renamed Perfection), building his home in the same place Burt Gummer builds his house. Cast *Michael Gross as Hiram Gummer *Sara Botsford as Christine Lord *Billy Drago as Black Hand Kelly *Brent Roam as Juan Pedilla *August Schellenberg as Tecopa *J.E. Freeman as Old Fred *Ming Lo as Pyong Lien Chang *Lydia Look as Lu Wan Chang *Sam Ly as Fu Yien Chang *John Dixon as Big Horse Johnson Release This fourth installment in the Tremors series was released straight to video and DVD, and first premiered on the Sci-Fi Network. The second through the sixth installments were also released straight to DVD. Production notes Firearms used in the film * Remington Mark III: The Remington Mark III single-shot 10-gauge pistol was the only gun used in the film that was not historically accurate, being manufactured from 1915-1918. According to Stampede Entertainment, "S. S. Wilson and Michael Gross loved it so much they decided to use it anyway". The handgun can be seen when Hiram gives it to Lu Wan to use in the final battle. However, Hiram calls it a "derringer". It is used by Lu Wan to blow the head off a tentacle of the graboid that attacks her on the wagon. * Sharps 1874 buffalo rifle: The Sharps 1874 buffalo rifle was used by Juan in the final battle. It was 45-70 caliber, but Hiram refers to as a .52 caliber in the film. * Remington No. 1 rolling block: The Remington No. 1 rolling block used in the film fired 45-70 blanks, but was called a 45-120 in the film. Pyong Chang fires it from the back of the steam traction engine during the final battle. * Colt Gatling gun: The Colt Gatling gun used in the film was a genuine antique 45-70 caliber Colt pre-1900. It was used by Hiram in the final scene of the movie. * Punt gun: The punt gun used by Hiram in the final battle was designed by prop master Bill Davis, weighing 94 pounds and measuring 8 feet 4 inches (2.54 m) long. The gun had a 2-inch (5.1 cm) bore, which classifies it as an "A gauge". According to Stampede Entertainment, "The entire trigger assembly of the punt gun dropped down to allow the loading of the internal shotgun with triple load 12-gauge black powder blanks." In addition, WD-40 was sprayed into the barrel before firing which would create extra smoke. **Colt Single Action Army "The Peacemaker" - used by Black Hand Kelly as his weapon of choice **1860 Henry repeating rifle - used by Christine Lord **Smith & Wesson Model 3 - used by Old Fred **H&R single-shot - used by Fu Yien **Remington Model 1875 - used by Tecopa **L.C. Smith shotgun - also used by Tecopa **Winchester 1873 - used by Big Horse Johnson **Winchester Model 1886 - used by Juan and Black Hand Kelly in the "muling station" sequence **.22 caliber Sharps pepperbox - used by Hiram in the "muling station" sequence Browser game A browser game tie-in called Dirt Dragons was created to market the film and released on January 2, 2004. The game concept, development, and programming was done by the Stampede Entertainment webmaster Allan Krahl. The game starts off with the premise that the town Rejection, Nevada hires an experienced gunman to eliminate Graboids. The player has a selection of guns. The Sharps 1874 Buffalo Rifle, Henry 1860, Colt Peacemaker, and the Punt Gun. The Sharps has the most range and is the second most powerful but has one bullet that takes a small amount of time to reload. The Henry 1860 has 16 bullets, low-moderate damage, and a fast fire rate but takes around 30 seconds to reload. The Peacemaker has poor range and damage but a extremely fast fire rate with 6 bullets loaded that takes around 30 seconds to reload and is considered a last resort weapon. The Punt Gun has the most destructive power but only at close range while taking over a minute to reload a single shot. The objective is to kill advancing graboids that pop-up while getting closer and strategize on how to conserve ammo to kill others. As a certain number is killed, the player advances to the next level which increases the amount by one for number of graboids that pop-up on screen with 4 total levels. If all else fails to kill them, press space. If the player loses, they will be greeted with a graboid tentacle and be eaten, ending the game. Damage output by in-game weapons (with damage varying upon range): •Sharps 1874 Buffalo Rifle: 20-50% •Punt gun: 0-100% •Henry 1860: 0-15% •Colt Peacemaker: 0-5% See Also *Weapons of Tremors 4 Category:Films